Our Priorities

Israel

In this Section:

Overview

Last Updated:
July, 2017

Situated in a high conflict region, Israel possesses advanced conventional military capabilities, and has for decades maintained a policy of opacity (in Hebrew, amimut) regarding its WMD programs. While experts generally agree that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, no such current open source consensus exists on the status of Israel's offensive chemical or biological weapons programs. Israel also possesses a sizeable arsenal of short- and medium-range ballistic and cruise missiles, and is working towards a multi-layered and comprehensive missile defense capability.

Nuclear

Israel is widely understood to possess a sizeable nuclear arsenal, but maintains a policy of nuclear opacity. David Ben Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, clandestinely established the nuclear weapons program in the mid to late 1950s with French assistance, to meet what Israel viewed as an existential threat from its Arab neighbors. [1] The program is centered at the Negev Nuclear Research Center (Hebrew acronym, KAMAG) outside the town of Dimona, where a French-supplied plutonium production reactor went critical in the early 1960s. [2] Israel reportedly assembled its first rudimentary nuclear devices in late May 1967 in the run-up to the Six-Day War. [3] Based on some rough estimates of the plutonium production capacity of the Dimona reactor, Israel is believed to have manufactured around 840 kg of weapons-grade plutonium, enough for an estimated arsenal of 100 to 200 nuclear warheads. [4]

Officially, Israel has acknowledged nothing factual about its nuclear weapons capabilities and has merely declared that it will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East; in parallel, Israel remains a non-signatory to the NPT. While Israel has supported the vision of a Middle East free of nuclear weapons, Israel has been reluctant to negotiate establishing such a zone, asserting that comprehensive peace in the region is a precondition to negotiating a Middle East Weapons-of-Mass-Destruction-Free Zone. [5]

Biological

The Israeli Institute for Biological Research (IIBR), located in the town of Ness Ziona near Tel Aviv, hosts the bulk of Israeli research related to biological weapons. While Israel does not publically comment on its biological weapons capabilities or intentions, IIBR scientists openly publish research on biological weapons agents that is presumably defense-related. [6] Observers have identified historical evidence that could be consistent with either interest in or even the existence of an offensive biological weapons capability, but official U.S. Government assessments offer conflicting interpretations of the status of Israel's biological warfare program. [7] Numerous factors, most notably geographic proximity to Israel's most likely adversaries, limit the potential utility of biological weapons to Israel's armed forces. Nevertheless, because Israel possesses a sophisticated bioscience knowledge base that includes experience in select agent research, including anthrax, Israel would likely face fewer obstacles than many other countries if it were to initiate an offensive biological weapons program. [8]

In 2004, Israel adopted export controls on biological materials consistent with Australia Group standards. [9] In 2004 and 2010, Israel staged nationwide bioterrorism response drills, including the largest such simulation ever conducted. [10] These events convey defensive concern over the bioterrorism threat.

Chemical

Israel has conducted significant research on the offensive and defensive aspects of chemical weapons at the Israeli Center for Biological Research (IIBR). [11] In 1955, Prime Minister Ben Gurion initiated a "crash" chemical weapons production program intended to provide Israel with an unconventional capability while it worked to acquire nuclear weapons. [12] According to Avner Cohen, "a near-consensus exists among experts—based on anecdotal evidence and intelligence leaks-that Israel developed, produced, stockpiled and perhaps even deployed chemical weapons at some point in its history." [13] Available evidence suggests that Israel does not currently have an offensive chemical weapons program or a chemical weapons arsenal. However, Jane's concludes that, given its sophisticated chemical industry, Israel could develop an offensive chemical weapons program within several months. [14] Israel has signed but not ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). In response to Syria's decision to dismantle its CW in 2013, Israel has been reluctant to make a gesture of its own. [15]

During the 1991 Iraq War, Israel took the unprecedented step of equipping its entire civilian population with gas masks. [16] In 2004, Israel adopted export controls on chemical agents and materials consistent with the Australia Group's standards, conveying serious concern over the threat of chemical weapons and terrorism. [17]

Missile

Since the early 1960s, Israel has developed the region's most advanced missile manufacturing base, and now deploys the region's most advanced ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and missile defense systems. [18] Israel's early missile program developments benefited from French and later South African collaboration. [19] Israel also possesses a civil national space program that has previously shared technology with its military missile program. The wide variety of aerial threats posed by numerous adversaries, both state and non-state, has motivated Israel to develop a layered and multi-faceted approach to both offensive and defensive missile technology acquisition.

The Israeli Military likely deployed the short-range Jericho-1 in 1973, followed by the more sophisticated medium-range Jericho-2 in the 1990s. [20] While Israel apparently tested the intermediate-range Jericho-3 in 2008, reportedly displaying a three-stage missile with MIRV (multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles) capabilities, the Jericho-3's production and deployment status remains unknown. [21] Israel has expanded its naval fleet to include five German- imported Dolphin-class diesel-electric submarines, with a sixth expected for delivery in 2018. These may be capable of launching nuclear-armed missiles, potentially giving Israel a nuclear second-strike capability. [22] While Israel is not a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), it abides by its guidelines. [23] Two of four planned components of Israel's multi-layered missile defense system have also entered service. [24] These deployments, and continued acquisitions of increasingly advanced missile capabilities, are consistent with Israel's overall security strategy of maintaining a "qualitative military edge" over its likely adversaries. [25]

In April 2014, Israel launched Ofek 10 into space, one of seven satellites currently in orbit and the tenth overall launched. The surveillance satellite is capable of capturing high-resolution imagery in all weather conditions, at all hours of the day. [26] Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon described the satellite as "meant to improve Israel's intelligence capabilities and allow the defense establishment to better deal with threats both close and far." [27]

Facility Types

Get the Facts on Israel

Widely believed to have produced enough weapons-grade plutonium for 100 to 200 nuclear warheads

Developing a comprehensive multi-layered missile defense system

Not a state party to the NPT, CTBT, BTWC, CWC or MTCR

This material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, or agents. Copyright 2017.